MiG Nine
Not to be confused with the MiG Fighter. NVA MiG Nine Tactical Analysis *'Charlie does fly': The MiG-9 is one of the few aircraft in the North Vietnamese inventory, but it's an excellent aerial superiority fighter. Sleek, quick and manoeuvrable, the MiG-9 is the equal of any other major power's fighters. *'Thunderchief': The MiG-9 attacks capitalist aircraft with rocket pods underneath its wings, which rip through armour in short time. Though the ammo reserves are ample, they do run out eventually. When this happens, the MiG-9 pilot has to make do with the plane's machine guns. *'No Wild Weasel': The MiG-9, like many other fighter aircraft, cannot attack ground targets, leaving it at the mercy of ground based anti-air. *'Countermeasures': Ace MiG pilots are granted use of upgraded MiG-9s, which among other things, spot jamming pods that make it harder to target them and nearby aircraft. Operational History During the Second World War, both sides were struggling for air supremacy. They attempted to place fighters closer and closer to the front, without compromising their abilities. This line was broken in 1952 when the Soviets brought out the MiG-9, or, as it came to be known, the MiG Nine. For most of the rest of the war, the MiG-9 was the fastest aircraft around, breaking several world records during a period from 1954-58. While the delta wing design should have necessitated a long runway to land, this was offset by the use of extremely powerful blown flaps that greatly improved lift and reduced stall speed, which made it possible for the MiG-9 to land on short, hastily constructed field strips at the front. These advancements did not come without shortfalls; the MiG-9's blown flaps were a nightmare to maintain, being unreliable and often breaking down from clogging by dirt. Furthermore, the fighter also suffered from short range, though this was offset by the promixity of fighters to the battlefield. By the end of the war, most of the MiG-9 fleet was in shambles, not because of Allied fighters, but due to a near endless maintenance cycle. Before its retirement, the MiG-9 fulfilled several roles, from interceptor to fighter-bomber to recon airframe. After the war, the new MiG-19 series replaced the MiG-9 as the Union's primary air superiority fighter, and the MiG-9s that were still intact, as well as any under construction, were dropped on the various non-USSR Communist nations that had the resources (for example, airports) to use them. North Vietnam, in particular, was desperate for anything to help even the odds against the aerial supremacy of the South, so the NVA eagerly accepted a whole fleet of them. While maintaining them has eaten up much of the NVA's resources, they have proven effective at combating the Allied birds in the sky. Behind the Scenes The MiG 9 is based on the MiG-21 of real life. If you haven't figured it out already, it's also the MiG from Red Alert 1. Just the Stats NK MiG Nine Tactical Analysis *'Red Sky!': The MiG-9 of North Korea is a flexible and fast fighter. Like all other variants of the MiG-9, it is deadly in air to air combat, capable of swatting aircraft out of the sky. *'Skywarrior': It isn't defenceless against surface targets either. Its missiles are just as capable of blowing up vehicles on the ground as they are at bringing down hostile planes. *'Ace Pilots': Only the best MiG pilots, equipped with the best in North Korean aviation, get sent to the hellhole that is China. Thus, they have no need for any further upgrades. Operational History While the Korean People's Army may have formidable commandos and a massive military, there was something it had lacked until recently. During the Korean War, one of the reasons why the North Koreans were never able to overpower the South Koreans was due to the South Korean dominance of the air. The Allied made Cutlass Ramjets and Hawker Jumpets of the South Korean Air Force "Black Eagle" squadrons easily outgunned anything in the inventory of the Korean People's Air Force. Though the piston engined planes of the KPAF managed to score several kills against the superior jet fighters of the South Korean Air Force, there simply was nothing the North Koreans could do to break the stranglehold on air superiority that the South Koreans possessed at the time. Since then, the North Koreans have undertaken significant steps to strengthen their air force, and they have not been without success. Now, the muscular Helix Assault Helicopters can often be seen supporting North Korean assaults, and the North Koreans have managed to acquire the rights to produce under license a local variant the infamous Soviet MiG-9 fighter. Rather than simply producing a carbon copy of the MiG-9 design, the North Koreans took the design further. Lacking both a modern air superiority fighter as well as an effective ground attack aircraft, the North Koreans decided it would be best to kill two birds with a single stone. To this end, the North Koreans made several modifications to their variant of the MiG-9. While the modifications have reduced the overall payload of the NK MiG-9 variant, they have enabled the MiG-9 to perform air to ground attacks. Known locally as the KN-1, the NK MiG-9 variant exceeded expectations, causing the North Koreans to increase their production. In fact, prior to the lockdown of North Korea following the Chinese Nuclear Exchange, the North Koreans had been considering exporting the KN-1 to other communist countries. However, following the lockdown, the North Korean fleet of KN-1s now serve to enforce the no fly zone over North Korean airspace, although a few have been seen escorting Helix Assault Helicopters on incrusions into the Chinese mainland. Behind the Scenes * The MiG-9 is based on the MiG-21 of real life, with a bit of the Su-37 Flanker. * The NK version is based on the J-7 Airguard, a RL Chinese Copy of the MiG-21, and a popular export fighter around the world. * The MiG 9 is based off a suggestion from Yellow 13. Category:Units Category:Vietnam